Booking System

Reservation Procedure: Request for transit reservations must be presented to Marine Traffic Control within one of the periods designated on a special form which also provides a guarantee of payment of the fee. The specific daily order of transit for booked vessels is determined by the Canal Authorities and does not follow a priority of either request or arrival time. The Canal does, however, guarantee that the vessel will transit on the day for which it is booked, insofar as it will arrive at the first set of locks prior to 2400 on that day and will move through the Canal within an 18-hour period.

Once booked, large and other restricted vessels which do not arrive at the Canal by 0200 hours on the day of transit and all other vessels which do not arrive by 1400 hours on the day of transit, as well as vessels which are not ready to proceed at the time fixed for transit, forfeit the booking fee and lose the booked transit. These vessels will then be placed in the regular transit schedule as if they had not been booked. In addition, a schedule of fees applies in the event of cancellation.

Noticeboard

Effective 7 June 2016 and until further notice for vessels transiting the Panamax locks the maximum authorized transit draft is set to 12.04m (39.5 feet) TFW * deepest point of immersion.* Some Vessels because of hull configuration (Bilge keel radius) are not allowed transit at this draft. Please check with us before fixing.- (Advisory A-33-2016)

Effective 18 October 2016 and until further notice for vessels transiting the Neo-Panamax locks the maximum authorized transit draft is set to 13.72m (46 feet) TFW deepest point of immersion.- (Advisory A-30-2017)